BANGKOK'S Old Backpacker Ghetto | Drugs | Scammers | Hippies | US Military | with KARL

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  • čas přidán 28. 01. 2024
  • In Sathon there is a smaller backpacker area. Soi Ngam Duphli & Soi Sri Bamphen was much more hardcore than Khao San Road. It attracted more than just travellers: Drugs, criminals, dodgy characters, english teachers, drug runners, prostitutes, US Military on leave from Vietnam all came together amidst many cheap hotels, hostels, dosshouses, bars, nightclubs along a street called Soi Sri Bamphen, off Soi Ngam Duphli in Bangkok's Sathon District. Join me and Karl‪@karlsthailand‬ as we hear stories of karl's time living here in the 1980s and 90s. It's a great ride through the history of this infamous ghetto.Enjoy!
    Karl's Channel: / @karlsthailand
    Karl's Website: www.meetmeinthailand.com/
    WALKING TOUR INFO: Email: djpat2000@hotmail.com Line ID: pat.mck
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Komentáře • 732

  • @BangkokPat
    @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +23

    🌞VITAL INFO: Karl's Channel: www.youtube.com/@karlsthailand
    Karl's Website: www.meetmeinthailand.com/
    WALKING TOUR INFO: Email: djpat2000@hotmail.com Line ID: pat.mck
    facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076442733368
    PLEASE SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL!
    www.buymeacoffee.com/bangkokpat
    Paypal: djpat2000@hotmail.com

    • @jonhenson5450
      @jonhenson5450 Před měsícem

      Where exactly was Washington Plaza? Anyone.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před měsícem +1

      @@jonhenson5450 Washington Square
      czcams.com/video/NemX9bcfi1Y/video.htmlsi=upqEEpy_DGSISLsr

  • @AbuShenab
    @AbuShenab Před 5 měsíci +23

    First time in BKK in 1967. I was 13 on an around the world with my family. The place was flooded with loud and happy GI’s each with a beautiful girl on their arm. As a 13 year old boy I was bug-eyed and thought the place was amazing. (Retired now in Chiang Mai).

  • @johnkilmerstone
    @johnkilmerstone Před 5 měsíci +16

    That was great! The first hotel I ever stayed at was the Malaysia Hotel back in December 1987. Back in the days before smartphones and internet seems unimaginable now but Bangkok felt so exciting and mysterious. I feel so fortunate that I experienced those Wild West days, and all the usual suspects like Thermae’s, Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy & Patpong which were going strong back then. A different world indeed.

  • @tomh1886
    @tomh1886 Před 5 měsíci +16

    Best Thailand channel on You Tube - thanks Pat for all your hard work. Look forward to this channel getting the recognition it deserves.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      Thanks Tom👍 one day.....

  • @Sluggo-qu5ir
    @Sluggo-qu5ir Před 5 měsíci +14

    Wow! This is a great post that brings back a lot of memories. In the fall of 1978 I arrived at Don Muang from Kathmandu and taxied directly to Soi Ngam Duphli. Checked into the Boston Inn, but it was terrible. No AC and the walls between the rooms didn’t reach the ceiling. Checked into the Malaysia the next day and it was like moving into the Ritz. Lovely pool, excellent coffee shop, great AC. After 10 months of staying in youth hostels and fleabags across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, the Malaysia seemed the pinnacle of luxury. First memory of the Blue Fox: a bar girl was eating chilies out of a jar. Put the whole chili in her mouth bit it off at the stem and chewed. She offered one to a farang at the bar who’d been ogling her. He attempted to eat it the same way and immediately fell to the ground screaming and clutching his throat. My first morning in the area I went to a small open front restaurant where, to my amazement, they made me a bowl of corn flakes with cold milk and sliced bananas. It was one of the most memorable meals of my life. You got 20 baht to the dollar. A big plate of shrimp fried rice was 7 baht ($0.35) and the Malaysia was 100 baht a night ($5.00). Spent several evenings at the nearby Lumphini boxing stadium, which was just on the other side of Rama IV. Went back for a visit to the area in the early 1990’s and it had indeed gone to seed. The Malaysia had become very shabby but there was a lively Issan-style nightclub in their banquet room where I managed to have a fun time.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      Thanks for sharing a fantastic story, that would make a great video in itself😎

  • @marinelines
    @marinelines Před 5 měsíci +8

    Wow, five minutes into this video and I know it's gonna be another good one!

  • @bkkfarang4749
    @bkkfarang4749 Před 5 měsíci +9

    Very interesting...... I never heard about this area.

  • @user-es2fn1ki4v
    @user-es2fn1ki4v Před 5 měsíci +11

    Best Bangkok content by a million miles... another great video. Thanks Pat and hope to bump in to you at some point in Bangers.

    • @aussie-kiwi
      @aussie-kiwi Před 5 měsíci

      Your correct Pat digs into Bangkok's under belly.

  • @_Alfa.Bravo_
    @_Alfa.Bravo_ Před 5 měsíci +6

    18:19 .... wow, very hypnotic and what a very nice color for a pair of cat eyes !!! Nice !!!

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      The curious cat liked the camera!!

  • @inzidenziaschulz7972
    @inzidenziaschulz7972 Před 5 měsíci +9

    I did spend my very first night in Thailand, 1980 in the Malaysia. The jukebox in the Blue Fox hit it's high 1985 when Madonna joined the box with: "I am a virgin."

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      Sounds like a classic! And I hope you got up and danced!!

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +1

      I wonder what happened to that juke box. I clearly remember the worn ‘Stairway’ 45 and some really obscure Thai made EP’s from The Beatles White Album on it

    • @inzidenziaschulz7972
      @inzidenziaschulz7972 Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@karlsthailand One is for sure, it would be a priceless collector item.

  • @karlsthailand
    @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +6

    That was excellent Pat. Cheers

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +4

      Thanks Karl, my trickiest editing job thus far, brilliant storytelling as usual mate. I'll be in Pattaya during February so we can film something down there too.

  • @robinradema1
    @robinradema1 Před 5 měsíci +3

    What a nice guy. 30 years later and still doenst want to speak ill about anybody from those days. Great video. Thanks.

  • @bradleybprentice1497
    @bradleybprentice1497 Před 5 měsíci +6

    The best one yet Pat! Well done. Great look back on BKK’s past. Really interesting walk around.

  • @user-kz9rp3pq2z
    @user-kz9rp3pq2z Před 5 měsíci +6

    Great vlog Pat. Very enjoyable to hear Karl’s recollections. Beautifully shot as always. Fantastic old photographs.Thank you!

  • @rupebear26
    @rupebear26 Před 5 měsíci +5

    Great video Pat. Thanks again for showing me round Bangkok couple of weeks ago. Karl, I met at Le Pub, awesome guy. Fountains of knowledge these two.

  • @Londoncab
    @Londoncab Před 5 měsíci +6

    Great video Pat, Im envious of Karl seeing Bangkok in the 80's ...I stayed at Soi Duphli in 1998 called "; Miggi house, something like that. Good fun. crazy characters and everyone was skint

  • @sahpraphaphorn6240
    @sahpraphaphorn6240 Před 5 měsíci +5

    Fantastic pictures.Very interesting 😀👍

  • @Mranfunnee
    @Mranfunnee Před 5 měsíci +6

    Pat and Karl making content together is a match made in Thailand 🇹🇭 Historical Heaven 😇

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      Cheers, exactly what you'd expect when you team up with CZcams's best storyteller, he stands way up above the others who tell stories on YT

  • @kevwandless
    @kevwandless Před 5 měsíci +6

    Hope there's a part 2,3 and 4 ! Fascinating stuff 😅

  • @Swampzoid
    @Swampzoid Před 5 měsíci +6

    Very interesting. I l love the old photos and footage

  • @gezeers
    @gezeers Před 5 měsíci +5

    Great vlog and Karl came trumps taking back into memories of his early days in that area.Thanks Pat for showing the old and the new of that area😊😊😊

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Glad you enjoyed it, cheers mate😻😎

  • @matthewbaker6177
    @matthewbaker6177 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Another great video. I arrived too late for all of this. Probably a good thing. How Bangkok has changed.....!

  • @morteiny
    @morteiny Před 5 měsíci +5

    Great informative piece... Nice collaboration... thanks guys...

  • @Get-A-Life
    @Get-A-Life Před 5 měsíci +5

    Bloody awesome vid Pat.
    Well researched, well executed as per normal.
    Karl is an added bonus!
    Such a great storytelling master.
    By the way, wtf is in your backpack???
    I never saw you take anything out of it on our walking trip!😂😂😂

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      My euipment goes with me everywhere in that backpack!

  • @TrevsTravelTales
    @TrevsTravelTales Před 5 měsíci +5

    Malaysia hotel probably had an overdose weekly in the late 80's, stayed there once.. Boston Inn had a swimming pool. air con and cheap as. We found hidden Gangja in the room and made a bong from a small broom handle as a stem and an orange juice container, 1988. Love this stuff Pat. YFKM.

  • @alanq7170
    @alanq7170 Před 5 měsíci +5

    Top collaboration here. Great to see. Now for Pat to go hiking with Karl

  • @terencegraham8414
    @terencegraham8414 Před 5 měsíci +71

    You could be making serious money on Telly doing this Pat. Excellent stuff.

    • @sackofrice13
      @sackofrice13 Před 5 měsíci +19

      Agreed, but I think the tele is history. This is the modern telly. Best wishes to Pat, I hope his channel continues to thrive and grow. It deserves more attention.

    • @leebryantravels
      @leebryantravels Před 5 měsíci +7

      ​@sackofrice13 correct, this is the new telly.

    • @germanbeer2466
      @germanbeer2466 Před 5 měsíci +4

      You did great research and background checks. Well done.

    • @kippsguitar6539
      @kippsguitar6539 Před 5 měsíci +1

      Exactly what I said a couple of years ago, top presenter

    • @gman6055
      @gman6055 Před 5 měsíci

      Are you a big TV exec then Terence?

  • @guyh9992
    @guyh9992 Před 5 měsíci +6

    The backpackers on Khao San road were sitting around drinking 40 baht bottles of Mekong whiskey in the 80s.
    The shot of Bangladesh Biman airways at Don Muang also brought back memories of the cheapest flights to Rangoon and onward to Kathmandu after the seven day visa in Burma.

    • @pierrekingbkk
      @pierrekingbkk Před 5 měsíci +1

      Exactly ca,e on this flight too from Kathmandu via Rangoon on a 7 day visa ! Great to mention it

  • @sonofsamwaters8350
    @sonofsamwaters8350 Před 5 měsíci +5

    That title is BOUND to ruffle some feathers. Good show mate!

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      Depends on who gets ruffled....maybe l'll get reported for copyright, wouldn't be a surprise at all 😇🐱

    • @sonofsamwaters8350
      @sonofsamwaters8350 Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@BangkokPat You aren't (badly) reading other peoples' stories in front a green screen, you should be fine. 🤩

  • @Robert-ln7ji
    @Robert-ln7ji Před 5 měsíci +6

    Hey Pat,
    I'm the Soi Sri Bumphen 'old hand' (into my 34th year here now) that accosted you lol... while you were taking pics of the infamous Soi!
    FANTASTIC video! - You really are a natural for this type of documentary filming, professionally done, But...MOST IMPORTANT... down to earth!
    Okay a bit of info so On-wards...
    In the spring of 1990 I had decided i wanted to see a bit of the world, so quit my permanent job and started contract work, the first contract job was in Holland, anyways...at this company...during the lunch breaks all the Brits used to sit at the same table, there was an eccentric old chap from London (he lived in BKK during the UK winter since mid-80's) that used to tell stories about Bangers...
    ...one time he mentioned all the nefarious activities that went on in the soi that he lived, when he walked off back to work, all the other Brits would pipe up and say he was talking BS!
    Well...I went to Thailand for the first time back-packing in the winter of 1990, met up with the old eccentric chap, that Soi turned out to be: *Soi Sri Bumphen* and YES it was all TRUE what he had said!
    I loved it there so much, ended up staying every winter for 6 mths,(including 4 years full-time) used to stay at Soi Ngam Dupli APT's, that guy in his 1970's attire crossing the soi in your elephant pic, he stayed at those APT's...I stayed right up until the APT's got sold & knocked down and the ibis Hotel was built there.
    YOU had to have lived in *Soi Sri Bumphen* in those early years to experience the ENIGMA, YOU had to have BREATHED it... SEE it...they were VIBRANT Times, and sometimes totally insane...unreal times with equally mental characters!😂
    Remember Karl's mate Mike (RIP) walking down the soi regularly, always seemed to have a small bottle of Mekong in his back pocket lol, the soi was action central as you had Patpong, Nana, the old thermae, Cowboy... all close by.
    You & Karl didn't mention the "Cambodian restaurant" (now gone) which is a surprise cos this place was paradise during the late/early hours with all sorts of ODDBALL characters!!!
    In ya video at 10:06 that farag lady is Eva aka cat woman (takes care of stray cats) shes been their since about 94 & to my knowledge never left lol!
    A film/book should be made about this by gone "dodgy street"...spilling the beans about its scams/nefarious activities and the colorful characters who participated, but hey... most probably wouldn't believe it, cos if you walk down there today, its one BORING street!
    BTW, You just got another subscriber, Cheers, Robert.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Hi Robert, it was nice chatting to you that evening, none of what I filmed while we talked made it into the video as I wasn;t really concentrating, too nusy listening to your stories. I of course didn't know that was Eva the cat women walking out of Soi 2, it was just by chance that I was filming at that moment, which is rather interesting. Had I known of course I would have had a chat. She sounds like a legend.
      If only there were as many old pics and videos about as there are taken at Khao San Road, luckily we had Karl's fantastic memories to savour.
      Glad you found the channel mate!

    • @bobbrocoli7116
      @bobbrocoli7116 Před 5 měsíci

      Wow, interesting comment. I have to go back and check out cat-lady. Thanks for the time stamp!

  • @chriswaight2762
    @chriswaight2762 Před 4 měsíci +7

    10 of the best years of my life spent in that area.

  • @tapptom
    @tapptom Před 5 měsíci +6

    This guy “Karl” is a real professional! A real pro

  • @johnaboardviolet237
    @johnaboardviolet237 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Another easy to watch and interesting video

  • @TrippyandDa
    @TrippyandDa Před 5 měsíci +5

    The colab with Karl just took it to another level 😎 Thailand vlogging royalty 💙🇹🇭 great work guys 👏🏼👏🏼

  • @earinsound
    @earinsound Před 5 měsíci +5

    my old haunt! i lived on Yen Agat and Nanglinchee areas for several years. the original wong’s, kenny bar, etc. weird dives. Sam was not the original owner, his brother nicknamed Wong-person in the photo on the wall-was the original owner). Sam is his brother that took it over after he died. i went to Wong’s funeral.
    Boston Inn, dark and dank and ODs.
    So many stories, but so long ago (20 years)
    i stayed at a guest house next to Madam for $5/night last i was there.
    totally gentrified now.

  • @brianpoffley1771
    @brianpoffley1771 Před 5 měsíci +5

    Another great video. Finally a reason to feel good about being home, seeing your videos. Thanks

  • @TrevsTravelTales
    @TrevsTravelTales Před 5 měsíci +4

    I Love that area, Blue fox Cafe, Lee Guesthouses, Malaysia Hotel and our Fav, Boston Inn. Stayed upstairs at tabletop when the rooms were double the size. I could walk home from Patpong, cheap taxi to NaNa, Soi Cowoy and Tharmae.

  • @billmoeller8897
    @billmoeller8897 Před 5 měsíci +6

    That was great. Karl is one of the best story tellers on CZcams. I first arrived in Bangkok in 1993, stayed at Uncle Ray's Guest House on Soi Nana, good times.

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +1

      I remember Uncle Rei's (pretty sure it was spelt that way). Cheap and basic but unbeatable location

    • @billmoeller8897
      @billmoeller8897 Před 5 měsíci +1

      @karlsthailand Remember seeing a couple of Uncle Ray's Ice Cream Shops around Bangkok about the same time. Yes, the guest house was in a super location & cheap

  • @SmokeDef
    @SmokeDef Před 5 měsíci +4

    Two of my favourite CZcamsrs coming together, both of you always have a great story to tell.

  • @baz1846
    @baz1846 Před 5 měsíci +5

    Quality video. Thank you both.

  • @Paul_G_Eats
    @Paul_G_Eats Před 5 měsíci +6

    Great video Pat, nice to see you and Karl together

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      Thanks 👍 we gotta get on video too mate

    • @Paul_G_Eats
      @Paul_G_Eats Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@BangkokPat definitely mate👍

  • @JohnMitch
    @JohnMitch Před 5 měsíci +7

    My very first experience of BKK was 1981 I stayed at the Malaysian hotel. I remember walking to Patpong almost every night. I had many a coffee in the Blue fox coffee. Oh the memories are flooding back

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Glad the video invoked a bit of nostalgia John, cheers!

    • @aussie-kiwi
      @aussie-kiwi Před 5 měsíci

      Way back I was going to stay there after a friend recommended the Malaysia Hotel. I took one look at the place and thought no thanks.

  • @michaelstuart8775
    @michaelstuart8775 Před 5 měsíci +4

    The 2 best vloggers on you tube
    My only excitement was staying in the Rose Hotel surawong road 1992
    Krap Pom

  • @llttf
    @llttf Před 5 měsíci +5

    Could watch you and Karl chatting all day.

  • @thestaffrockband
    @thestaffrockband Před 5 měsíci +6

    When you told me you have endless stories to tell about Bangkok, you weren't kidding - nice episode Sir!

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Thanks! 😃 Still so many more to come!

  • @markp5056
    @markp5056 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Excellent stuff, great collaboration chaps. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      Thanks Mark, glad you enjoyed it mate.

  • @noahmiyavong6780
    @noahmiyavong6780 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Awesome Pat, you really are the best consistently. Looking forward to your feature film on the big screen

  • @robertw8666
    @robertw8666 Před 5 měsíci +13

    I lived on the old Soi in 1987 and worked as an "English teacher. " At the time the best heroin was sold by the police at the Malaysia Hotel coffee shop. 4 hours a day of English teaching kept me in a small room, bought food and cigarettes and paid for those long trips by train every 90 days to pay for a new visa. Good times!

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +2

      Those “Butterworth Express” visa runs to Malaysia were legendary and a rare opportunity to get beer that wasn’t Singha or Kloster.

    • @xxx777xxxrrr
      @xxx777xxxrrr Před 5 měsíci +1

      And in Georgetown....those indians guys for the visa...Great time👍cheers you both Men.

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@xxx777xxxrrrYeah, he’d bring the visa forms, help you fill them in, take them away and bring them back the next day complete with your visa. Very convenient

    • @JohnRyan-gr8bs
      @JohnRyan-gr8bs Před 4 měsíci

      1969 my big head teaching English to bar girls while living for free in s monastery

  • @AA-RON706
    @AA-RON706 Před 5 měsíci +8

    Definitely need more collabs with Karl...you both have excellent channels.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      Yes, best storyteller on YT. Far better than any of the other so-called storytellers

  • @A808K
    @A808K Před 5 měsíci +5

    Nostalgic, fun stories and marvelously evocative cinematography of yet another time and place In my favorite city. I can see you making a big time Oscar Winner movie in a dark "Bangkok Dangerous" / "Chinatown" theme with the stories you have to tell ! Thank you again Pat. And thank you too Karl !

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Thanks for the kind words Aaron, maybe one day.....

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci

      My pleasure Aaron. Cheers

  • @user-jv3oz3xb4d
    @user-jv3oz3xb4d Před 5 měsíci +6

    Stayed at the Malaysian a couple of times in 84-85, when I had enough cash. The coffee shop/restaurant was quite a scene in the evenings.

  • @nwils6944
    @nwils6944 Před 5 měsíci +6

    Karl has some great videos about this area on his channel.

  • @pAuL-nb2ud
    @pAuL-nb2ud Před 5 měsíci +6

    Amazing you found so much original footage from decades ago in the same places //// well done 👍 🎥 📸

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      Had to hunt so deep in Google to find those clips

  • @CoolBoxesUK
    @CoolBoxesUK Před 5 měsíci +4

    It's a good evening on the sofa when a new @BangkokPat video lands 👍

  • @mturn444
    @mturn444 Před 5 měsíci +4

    I went with some expats to Wong’s Place back in 2014, and it was so good that I returned the next night with my friend. We played Tic Tac Toe with Johnny, the lively bartender, and the place was bustling.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Interesting game after a few drinks😇

  • @mariettathornton5924
    @mariettathornton5924 Před 3 měsíci +5

    Love the video Pat! It was sweet of Karl to come along and walk with you throughout the old places he used to stay at! Karl’s stories are awesome! Thanks for taking us along 😊

  • @tobyprice1092
    @tobyprice1092 Před 5 měsíci +3

    Great video. The old retro photos and stories are great. Karl has a great channel too.

  • @jonhobson3592
    @jonhobson3592 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Enjoyable video 😊

  • @PedroThai
    @PedroThai Před 5 měsíci +5

    stayed at the malaysia hotel in 1993, my mates and I use to call the area Soi 'JUNKY" for obvious reasons, Im pretty sure the Blue Fox was still open in 1993, great vid, great memories.

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +2

      We used to call it ‘Needle Alley’ when we wanted to cast it in a bad light

  • @kevincunningham9589
    @kevincunningham9589 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Very interesting. Thank you both.

  • @mtm4a
    @mtm4a Před 5 měsíci +3

    The comments here have said it all, Pat! But I just want to add that I consider yours to be one of the best channels on CZcams, if not *THE* best!
    As I've said before on your other contributions, your film-making skills combined with painstaking research are outstanding.
    I love the nostalgic vibes I get from watching your videos, partly brought about by your skilful use of archive footage and stills from a past era, and also your evocative choice of mood music.
    Well done once again!

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      Thank you very much for the kind words, it's all part of the package of work that comes with each video! I love every part of it, but not so much the late nights editing!!!

  • @marksoler7338
    @marksoler7338 Před 5 měsíci +3

    Really cool and interesting video Mr. Pat! It's fun to have guests share their memories where they happened!

  • @KF-cx8bm
    @KF-cx8bm Před 5 měsíci +4

    Bloody Brilliant as always, thank you x

  • @jimcraiggeezer
    @jimcraiggeezer Před 5 měsíci +4

    2x very good vloggers.. always interesting.

  • @richardo4878
    @richardo4878 Před 5 měsíci +3

    Excellent production Pat, Karl is a legend and the icing on the cake! I hope your collaboration can continue into other areas.

  • @SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus
    @SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Před 5 měsíci +6

    Good video..... i like to hear stories of Bangkok's past, these days the city authorities seem to want to sanitise everything and become another bland western style city......

  • @MrScotbar
    @MrScotbar Před 5 měsíci +10

    Back when I was 23 and lived in the area for quite some time during 1974-5 you couldn't really call Soi Ngam Duphlii a 'backpacker ghetto' by any stretch of the imagination (for one thing I recall there were no guest houses there then). Although you could use the phrase to describe some of the funky old Chinese hotels near Hualamphong Railway Station - the infamous Thai Song Greet (ไทยทรงกิจ), the even more notorious Pepsi, just over the small khlong that runs parallel to the rail lines, and a few others. Elsewhere the Atlanta down Soi 2 was pretty out there - among other things you could see pink splotches on the ceilings in some of the rooms, the handiwork of people spraying water up in the air when cleaning their syringes after having a shot.
    When I originally came to Bkk I stayed in the Thai Song Greet, where the walls of the rooms and the mattresses seemed to 'sweat'. It was a classic dive with its fair share of 'skanky hos' looking to unzip your fly for a pittance, although the restaurant downstairs wasn't too bad. I met someone there who suggested the Malaysia was a far better option - aircon rooms, baths, hot water etc. etc. room service and pretty reasonable - I think it was 80 baht a night (when the exchange rate was 20 baht to the US dollar). And he was right. A great place for travelers ('backpacker', incidentally, was a term of abuse back in those days - almost the equivalent of those quaint old terms 'straight' or 'square') with too many incredible memories to even begin to relate. However it was subject to police raids from time to time so you had to be rather careful.
    No mention in this clip of the other major hotel nearby - over the road from the Malaysia, just up from the Blue Fox on the corner - The Privacy Hotel (or Rong-raem Thungmahamek - โรงแรมทุ่งมหาเมฆ) which, in fact, was a rather nice 'short time', or 'Love' hotel - a classic Thai 'marn ruut' ม่านรูด - which refers to the 'curtains' to conceal the vehicle of a guy involved in some illicit 'hanky panky'. It was much more low key than the Malaysia - but still got occasionally raided by the police (those mofos presented the only real danger in Bkk which is generally a pretty safe city). As for the Blue Fox I only went in there a couple of times and found it totally underwhelming - indeed, it verged on being a nothingburger in my opinion. For a lot more fun the 'coffee shops' in the Grace Hotel in Soi 3 and Thermae down on Sukhumvit were much more like it especially very early in the morning. Patpong by comparison was shit, just a money scene - and many of the women who worked there would show up at the Grace or Thermae when the go-go bars closed for the night (Nana, as I remember, didn't really get going until around the mid 80s). Or if you liked hanging around with Scandinavian sailors and drink piss you could always head down to the Mosquito Bar in Khlong Toey (the Bangkok docks). Being much more of a weed man myself I never went there, although the mate I came to Bkk with, a 19 year old fellow Aussie, did and ended up living with one of the women working down there for a while - right on the Chaophraya River. He said he'd look out through a hole in the wall at night and see great big freighters moored only metres away. Said it was great and not as rough as I'd frequently heard. Right next to the Blue Fox was a Chinese dry goods store which also had a restaurant. The middle aged guy who ran it was a really cantankerous bastard, but the food they served was excellent. I was a vegetarian at the. time and only later discovered many Thai dishes back in the day were stir-fried with pig fat. Oops! There was also a fabulous Chinese restaurant down towards the mouth of Soi Ngam Duphlii, on the lefthand side just before Rama 4. It was quite a grand place, with high ceilings and an army of waiters all attired in white (often just a tad grubby, along with the table cloths) - it felt like being on some enormous ocean liner back in the 1930s. Anyway, probably the best Chinese food I've ever eaten in Bkk.
    Finally, only stayed in Khao Sarn once, either in '80 or '81 - there were only a couple of guesthouses then - very, very low key - nothing remotely like what it would become in later years. But as we all know nothing remains the same forever, or even for that long. Cheers

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +3

      That’s great hearing about your experiences of Bangkok in the 70’s, it must have been another world back then to even what I remember in the 80’s. I was aware of the Privacy Hotel but never stayed there lol. I have many more memories of the original Thermae though. We used to call it the “Star Wars Bar” after the bar in the movie that was full of every imaginable life-form. The Blue Fox certainly wasn’t exciting but it grew on you in its convenience and simplicity and friendliness when you lived there. Cheers

    • @therealbaglady
      @therealbaglady Před 5 měsíci

      The Chinese resto is Chanpen (จันทร์เพ็ญ).

    • @billmorrison9068
      @billmorrison9068 Před 5 měsíci

      Thanks for the great stories!

  • @nashpainting
    @nashpainting Před 5 měsíci +4

    Madam Guest House! - that brought back some memories. I stayed there for my few weeks in Thailand 23 years ago. Lovely old wooden building with nice staff. I had a few crazy times there :)

  • @jimdavis2911
    @jimdavis2911 Před 5 měsíci +8

    Great pair up- Pat & Karl! Triggered good memories, went into the Boston Inn in 1981, they were full but the desk girl said to checkout the bulletin board… found a note looking to share room cost and had the desk call up to the room. Ended up bunking in with an English girl on her way the Oz.

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +3

      I remember those message boards lol. People would decide they didn’t want to leave, sell their air tickets, literally just cross out their name and put yours in instead. Another time, another world!

    • @mightay6672
      @mightay6672 Před 5 měsíci +3

      🎉life was more simple then ,but at that time it wasn't 😅 crazy humans aren't we.🎉

  • @simonbrown4142
    @simonbrown4142 Před 5 měsíci +6

    Yet another brilliant video you’ve knowledge is incredible?

  • @gma-68
    @gma-68 Před 5 měsíci +6

    My partner and I stayed at the Malaysia Hotel in 1975, plenty of drugs, luckily no meeting with the Serpent.

  • @thaicitizenship
    @thaicitizenship Před 5 měsíci +6

    You used my Wong's quote! Nice one. :)

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      So glad you noticed! I was looking for old pics and vids but your quote was so fitting for that part! Cheers😻

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci

      Do you remember Wong when he had a light perm? In fact whenever he cusses my mind it’s with slightly curly hair, not like the picture Pat found of him. Cheers

    • @thaicitizenship
      @thaicitizenship Před 5 měsíci

      most welcome!@@BangkokPat

    • @thaicitizenship
      @thaicitizenship Před 5 měsíci

      @@karlsthailand not really. I only remember him as pictured, always smoking heavily and just totally chill behind the bar. He spoke English really well like he'd been educated overseas since a child. I suspect his family weren't too short of a quid.

  • @fatboyslim3550
    @fatboyslim3550 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Great video pat 😊

  • @brianstreet7377
    @brianstreet7377 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Excellent pat 👏 thanks

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +2

      Glad you enjoyed it Brian, thanks mate.

  • @billsimpson2392
    @billsimpson2392 Před 5 měsíci +3

    You've done it again Pat.... A super interesting trip down memory lane. Thank you 😊😊👍👍

  • @lasseskalman6189
    @lasseskalman6189 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Many thanks for a really interesting and informative video

  • @Chris-kn4vf
    @Chris-kn4vf Před 5 měsíci +5

    2 very interesting CZcamsrs top vid!

  • @chrish8903
    @chrish8903 Před 5 měsíci +3

    The sum is greater than its parts in this video. Pat and Karl with different takes on bkk's history.

  • @ashleyupshall7641
    @ashleyupshall7641 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Another great researched vid Pat. Interesting stuff.

  • @DanielSmith-sl3pv
    @DanielSmith-sl3pv Před 5 měsíci +3

    Pat - great historical stuff of this BKK hood. I'm Daniel, the dude u met while filming near the Pinnacle Hotel! Keep up good work! Cheers 🤙

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Hi Daniel, it was nice to bump into you, and thanks for stopping by the comments!

  • @jimmyboysmovies1972
    @jimmyboysmovies1972 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Pat really enjoyable vlog Karl is back he has great stories . Maybe more vlogs featuring you both very good chemistry.
    🍻

  • @CrapKerouac
    @CrapKerouac Před 5 měsíci +4

    I thought I “pulled” in Taiwan, China, and Bangkok. I guess I'm pretty naive… Great video, I've never heard of that area.

  • @capetonian
    @capetonian Před 5 měsíci +4

    Thanks Pat. Great vid. Great to have Karl on.

  • @gregoryfrancisjames5071
    @gregoryfrancisjames5071 Před 25 dny +3

    Love Karl. I could listen to him all day.

  • @arthurdunga345
    @arthurdunga345 Před 5 měsíci +3

    that was brilliant i real history story told by a man who was there i sure wish i would have discovered the place back then, good effort pat

  • @genestone4951
    @genestone4951 Před 5 měsíci +3

    Pat, this is gold! Thank you very big.

  • @GatorJake
    @GatorJake Před 5 měsíci +4

    Really enjoyed this, Pat. I've subbed to Karl for about 4 years now -- he's got a breadth of knowledge and experience that translates into some great stories. Thanks for conducting this walkabout interview and tour. Excellent.

  • @bangyai3194
    @bangyai3194 Před 5 měsíci +10

    On my first trip to Thailand back in 1979 we stayed at the Malaysia for our first night. What a dump. Blood stained nylon sheets in every room !! Our first meal that night was at a place called The Lisboa , down the road from The Blue Fox. We had Pizza , which predated Wongs by a number of years. Gone by the time Karl was there. I used to know Mr. Blue Fox quite well as I used to sell him smuggled porn mags from the UK !! Nice bloke. When I decided to stay several months I got a very small apartment around the corner at Pitak Court where Charles Sobhraj had once done his dirty deeds , but he had a 1 bedroom apartment which was a lot bigger. What a long long time ago but the memories are still fresh. Great video, Thanks for reminding me how it used to be.

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +1

      Wow, sounds like it was mad there in the 70's. Can you confirm my memory that the guy in the white in the white shirt, just left of centre on my picture shown at the 6:46 mark is Mr. Fox? My memory is that it was although I never got to know him that well. Cheers

    • @bangyai3194
      @bangyai3194 Před 5 měsíci +5

      Hi Karl , Long time ago and not the sharpest of pictures but that does look like him. We were a gang of 3-5 and we got to know each other through hanging out there a lot. I had a big Canadian biker friend ( sadly now dead ) who once sat and ordered 5 plates ofspagetti bolognaise on the trot ! This prompted Mr Blue Fox to come over and comment " Gin spagetti geng !! Another Aussie friend had no money and would hang there drinking just water. Mr Foxes comment " Gin nam geng ) with heavy tones of sarcasm. At that time, opposite the Blue Fox were the Sri Bumpen apartment. Dark and dingy but friends liked the location. I found a single picture of the Lisboa restaurant on google. Single story purple building. Joe Cummins who wrote a lot of the Lonely Planet guide on Thailand lived nearby in Soi Atakarn Prasit which has disappeared from the map and been redeveloped.( He smuggled his Laotian girlfriend out of Laoes using scuba equipment to swim under the mekong with her !!!) Pitak Court seems to be still there though. As for Pattaya, there was only beach road ! Second road was still dirt and being developed. The rest was just empty land with a few houses here and there If you left walking street and past soi post office it got very dark with nothing until the Tahitian Queen. After that just darkness and dragons.
      Hard to believe but in 1979 there were only three high buildings in Bangkok. Dusit Thani hotel , The Golden Mount temple and the Chok Chai steakhouse on Sukhumvit. Bad time to be a lift salesman !!! @@karlsthailand

    • @karlsthailand
      @karlsthailand Před 5 měsíci +1

      @@bangyai3194 Thanks for more of your memories. I’m pretty certain it was him. I recall he had a French wife. Like you say, long time ago. The dingy apartments opposite The Blue Fox were Ngam Duphli Apartments btw. Sri Bamphen Apartments (equally as dingy) was a couple of hundred meters further down on the same side of the road as the Blue Fox.

    • @bangyai3194
      @bangyai3194 Před 5 měsíci +1

      I stand corrected. 66 now and memory a bit fuzzy. Enjoy your out and about videos by the way. Very entertaining.@@karlsthailand

  • @wanderlustingwithjoe
    @wanderlustingwithjoe Před 5 měsíci +4

    Awesome video Pat! Karl was very interesting and I loved learning about this! 👍.

  • @Funkartmedia
    @Funkartmedia Před 5 měsíci +2

    Great video Pat, Kwan and I will be back in March love to catch up again

  • @glenn9229
    @glenn9229 Před 5 měsíci +3

    what a great video, thanks so much Pat. Karl sounds like a proper character, more documentaries from the two of you looking at back in the day would be a great addition. I really hope someone from the Thai or Bangkok government sees what you produce and commissions a series of episodes to tell some of the stories of the city. Cheers again

  • @aussie-kiwi
    @aussie-kiwi Před 5 měsíci +6

    Bangkok the only place to live. Get what you want at what price your willing to pay. I love the city. Never bored every time I think I've seen it all Bangkok changes. Bangkok's in my blood after 35 years. I'm not going anywhere.

    • @CrapKerouac
      @CrapKerouac Před 5 měsíci +1

      I love Bangkok, but haven't been for years. I would go when I lived in Tokyo, and I needed a break from all things Japanese. How have things improved in Bangkok in the 35 years?

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +3

      In 35yrs its totally different....too much to mention!

    • @aussie-kiwi
      @aussie-kiwi Před 5 měsíci +2

      @@CrapKerouac yes mate many changes. Transport, food, from the old times to the ultra modern. Something for everyone. Japan a great place. But to live from the cheap to the very expensive. Without the formality.

  • @DimaTrionix
    @DimaTrionix Před 5 měsíci +3

    That was super Interesting, Pat. Thank you guys for this cool journey to the Past. Will definitely subscribe to Karl's Channel.

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Thanks mate! Hope you're well 😻

  • @austJW
    @austJW Před 3 měsíci +4

    Really cool seeing the old neighborhood and getting the rundown from Karl! Great to see, hope you do more collabs with him. Funny the last story (and a bit scary too - gulp).

  • @gb875
    @gb875 Před 5 měsíci +2

    Great video Pat! Good to see you also. Gary 🙏

  • @highbrand
    @highbrand Před 5 měsíci +2

    Really interesting video. Never stayed there as I only ever heard talk of addicts when the place was brought up in conversation.

  • @Sukhumvit1
    @Sukhumvit1 Před 4 měsíci +5

    You’re My favourite Thai based CZcamsr. Always putting out interesting stuff Pat 👍🏻
    Your channels a massive difference from other Thai CZcamsrs . All their videos seem the same as each other.
    Most channels consist of Walking around a busy Soi, show a bit of b-roll of the traffic, eat some food and waffle nonsense for 5 minutes😂
    Karl’s channel is decent as well, he gets about different places I’d never bother to visit

  • @geoffreyrose1620
    @geoffreyrose1620 Před 5 měsíci +3

    I lived in that area in the early 80s , I never seen a problem.

  • @marcusmustard8285
    @marcusmustard8285 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Interesting! A lot of work, all the editing and captions. Super entertaining for almost 30 minutes. Anyways, fun to read the comments, too 🙂

    • @BangkokPat
      @BangkokPat  Před 5 měsíci +1

      Cheers Marcus, glad you liked it mate😻

  • @markwilliams4362
    @markwilliams4362 Před 5 měsíci +3

    Great chat guys , cheers 🍻🙏🇦🇺🇹🇭